AAHS Features Exceptional Volunteers for Volunteer Appreciation Week

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, so we are featuring an exceptional volunteer from each of our locations every day this week! We value and appreciate ALL of our wonderful volunteers and thank each and every one of them for their dedication to help the animals at the Athens Area Humane Society!

Today, we're recognizing Debbie K., one of our Zeus House Shelter volunteers.

Debbie is in her second year of volunteering at AAHS. She found out about our volunteer opportunities while working at a printing company, through which she was invited to an auction benefiting AAHS, and she thought it was a wonderful idea to raise money to help the animals. She volunteers mostly at the Zeus House Shelter to spend time with the cats while they wait to be transferred to our Adoption Center or to be adopted at the Shelter, and she helps with daily tasks like laundry, dishes and inventory as needed.  Debbie also volunteers at the Adoption Center to talk to potential adopters about the cats' personalities, and she has helped with multiple special events .

When asked what her favorite part about volunteering at AAHS is, Debbie says, "I get to spend quality and loving time with the cats who are down on their luck. I love surrounding myself with animals and interacting with them. AAHS has provided me a way to do this, and in the process, I learn some interesting things in caring for them. As a regular [volunteer], I get to meet a new crew of cats with different breeds, different personalities, and different stories." And she adds, "I'm always in such a good frame of mind after I volunteer."

Lindsay Porter, our Shelter Manager, appreciates Debbie's regular commitment to volunteering at the Zeus House Shelter. She says that "Debbie is passionately dedicated to her volunteer work, but most importantly, to the animals in our care. It's obvious that she loves the time she spends with the cats at the Shelter and that she knows how important her time is to the health and well-being of the animals."

Debbie always has a smile on her face when she comes to volunteer, rain or shine, twice a week without fail. She truly loves the animals, and it radiates from her.  Lindsay says that she is "one of the few who do more than just say they're an animal lover--she proves it by being willing to expose her emotions in what can be a tough setting, and all for the benefit of the animals."

Debbie says she would encourage others to volunteer at AAHS because of "how rewarding it is to share your time with these animals. They need love and attention, and you'll never be the same after meeting these lovely creatures."

When asked why our volunteers are so important to the Shelter, Lindsay says, "One of the critical components of keeping the animals in the shelter healthy and happy is socializing with them and providing affection. This is something many of these cats have never had, at least not in any meaningful way. Volunteering at the Shelter is a great way to benefit the animals, help them get adopted, and satisfy one's own desire to interact with some wonderful animals."

Thank you, Debbie, for your continued support for the animals and the Athens Area Humane Society!

If you would like to become a volunteer at AAHS, please visit us online at www.AthensHumaneSociety.org/Volunteer.